Anticipation Builds for Minnesota State Fair

The Minnesota State Fair is just one day away, and as always, there’s plenty to see, do and eat.

Much is the same from years past, but there are a few new attractions and new foods for you to check out this time around. The Minnesota State Fair announced the addition of more than 40 new foods to the line-up, bringing the total to more than 450 foods from 300 concessions.

Princess Kay of the Milky Way

The kickoff to the state fair included crowning Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Wednesday night, the 60th coronation took place. Marjenna McWilliam of Polk County was crowned. She will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for Minnesota’s nearly 4,000 dairy farms. She’ll also get her face carved in butter, which you can see at the fair.

Fair Rides

On Tuesday, fair rides started being assembled. Every ride is inspected once it enters the fairgrounds, and it's a long process that is done in phases.

"We look at them while they are in racks on the trucks, as they take them apart and put down the foundations and as they are working their way up,” says Joe Bixler, who manages ride safety at the fair. “We inspect the whole process until they are completely assembled.”

People who work on the rides generally work in shifts of 30 minutes to avoid fatigue. Also, music is monitored because if the music is too loud, workers can't hear if there are problems with the ride or riders.

Budweiser Clydesdales

While you’re at the fair this year, you’ll be able to meet some famous four-legged stars. The Budweiser Clydesdales are coming to the fair, marking their 80th anniversary with Anheuser-Busch. They will be at the fair for four days starting this Thursday.

Big Business

The Minnesota State Fair and its vendors are hoping to cash in big over the next two weeks. According to the Wall Street Journal, gross sales last year reached as high as $1.5 million for some vendors. In total throughout the fair, gross food and beverage sales jumped to nearly $35 million last year, up from $25 million in 2007.

Admission Prices

If you can’t wait to go to the fair and plan on going this Thursday, you can save on admission. It’s Thrifty Thursday, meaning adult and kids’ tickets drop to $10 and $7, respectively. For more discount days, visit our Links page.

Virtual Fair Tour

History meets high-tech in a new smartphone version of the Minnesota State Fair History Walking and Cell Phone Tour. In the tour, old photos, maps and text combine with audio of personal memories and narrated history. Access the new mobile website here.

You can take the free self-guided tour while walking around the fairgrounds, on your phone or on your computer. This year, two new tour stops were added about food at the fair and the history of the Department of Natural Resources Building and exhibits.

Find Us at the Fair

You can find 5 Eyewitness News at the fair. We’re in the building at the corner of Carnes Avenue and Chambers Street, which is our usual location. You can catch a front-row seat to our newscasts starting with our midday newscast Thursday.